Fortunes Of Political Parties Research Articles

Political Marketing Strategies in Africa: Expert Opinions of Recent Political Elections in Ghana

This study focuses on expert views of the importance of political marketing and electoral victory in African nations with an emphasis on Ghana. There is a particular focus in this article on understanding political marketing communication issues pertaining to the 2008 Ghanaian presidential elections. Following Peng and Hackley (2007), we used “elite interviews,” dyadic depth interviews with highly regarded marketing and communication practitioners who were also MBA students at Ghana's premier business school. We also employed Butter and Collins' (1994) political marketing structure model in eliciting and analyzing the study findings. We found that all four of the themes discussed by Butler and Collins (1994) played a role in the defeat of the incumbent party—New Patriotic Party (NPP). Product factors was the key theme followed by organizational, process, and market factors, respectively. This paper is an important initial step in highlighting the significance of political marketing to the fortunes of political parties in Africa.

Understanding the rural–urban voting patterns in the 1992 Ghanaian presidential election. A closer look at the distributional impact of Ghana's Structural Adjustment Programme

This article attempts to explain the rural–urban voting patterns in the 1992 Ghanaian presidential election. In this election, rural voters voted overwhelmingly for the incumbent and urban voters did the opposite. It is argued that Ghana's Structural Adjustment Programme (1983–92) was distributionally favourable to rural households and unfavourable to urban households. A link is therefore drawn between the distributional impacts of the Structural Adjustment Programme and the voting patterns of rural and urban households.The relationship between the state of the economy and the fortunes of political parties at the polls is one which has generated a lot of debate. This debate has largely taken place within the confines of Western democracies, not least because of the absence of Western-style democracy in many developing countries. We are, however, seeing a movement towards ‘democracy’ in many developing countries, with pressures for economic liberalisation going hand in glove with those for political liberalisation. The increasing democratisation by many African countries undertaking Structural Adjustment Programmes provides us with an opportunity to investigate the relationships between the welfare implications of these programmes and the voting behaviour of the electorate. Is voting behaviour in Africa any different from that in Western democracies?

Redistricting and Incumbent Reelection Success in Five State Legislatures

Does redistricting affect the election success of incumbents? Does it affect the electoral fortunes of political parties? These questions are examined in five states that used different redistricting processes in 1991-1992 and in two states where the redistricting process changed from 1981-1982 to 1991-1992. In states where redistricting was highly partisan, parties controlling the process gained politically. In states where redistricting was bipartisan, that is, both parties were involved, neither party gained an advantage. Likewise, where redistricting was nonpartisan, that is, parties were excluded from the process, neither party gained an advantage and the outcome was least hospitable to incumbents.

The Left Unravelled: Social Democracy and the New Left Challenge in Britain and West Germany

In the early 1980s both the British Labour Party and the West German Social Democrats (SPD), confronted with serious internal challenges from the political left, experienced an erosion of support that resulted in the emergence of new political parties-the British Social Democratic Party and the West German Green Party. Explicitly comparative, this study presents a theoretically innovative analysis while offering a sophisticated understanding of the political confrontations between social democrats, the new left, traditional socialists, and trade unionists in both Britain and West Germany. By focusing on the established parties rather than on external developments, Koelble departs from conventional methodology regarding the fortunes of political parties. In examining the fundamental processes of decision making and coalition building within the SPD and the Labour Party, he argues that it is the organizational structures within parties that shape political results by setting limits, creating opportunities, and determining strategies.

The left unraveled: social democracy and the new left challenge in Britain and West Germany

In the early 1980s both the British Labour Party and the West German Social Democrats (SPD), confronted with serious internal challenges from the political left, experienced an erosion of support that resulted in the emergence of new political parties-the British Social Democratic Party and the West German Green Party. Explicitly comparative, this study presents a theoretically innovative analysis while offering a sophisticated understanding of the political confrontations between social democrats, the new left, traditional socialists, and trade unionists in both Britain and West Germany. By focusing on the established parties rather than on external developments, Koelble departs from conventional methodology regarding the fortunes of political parties. In examining the fundamental processes of decision making and coalition building within the SPD and the Labour Party, he argues that it is the organizational structures within parties that shape political results by setting limits, creating opportunities, and determining strategies.

Two Notes on the Federal Reserve System

T [ aHE structure of the Federal Reserve banking system of the United States is so complicated that a consistent long-run policy is scarcely possible. If one examines into the Federal Reserve Act, he will notice that it sets up many agencies which do have or are supposed to have some influence over policy. There is provision for the Federal Reserve Board (eight members), boards of directors for each Federal Reserve bank (io8 directors in all), the Federal Advisory Council (twelve members, one from each district). Examination of the working system also shows a governor for each bank (twelve in all); and an open-market policy conference (twelve members).' Here alone are some 140 individuals. In the first instance, policy represents the balance of power within the separate agencies and among them. It should be remembered that this balance is not merely a matter of law; it is also a matter of administration and of personality. Federal Reserve policy might be modified because there are changes within the several units. Thus, the Federal Reserve Board is composed of eight members: six are appointed by the President directly to the Board for ten-year terms; and two are ex-officio members. Changes in the fortunes of political parties and expirations of terms of office might mean changes in the personnel. Deaths and resignations are bound to do so. Lack of consistency in policy is almost inevitable in the decisions of a Board whose membership changes and whose decisions are (in general) by majority vote. Changes in the composition of the Board may be the prelude to changes in the balance of power among its members. In addition, members who hold office longest might change their opinions with respect to what constitutes wise policy. Such changes may be called intra-agency changes of power. There are also changes in the balance of power among the various agencies. These may be called inter-agency changes. Thus, the Secretary of the Treasury was the dominant figure in the system during the World War. Benjamin Strong, a governor, was for years the most important man in the system. Such a complicated and ever changing set-up might lead one to